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VIRGINIA BEACH — Antwain Britt’s sweet tooth almost beat him once.
It was 2006, and he weighed 320 pounds — a far cry from his wrestling days at Indian River High School.
“I was really big and not healthy by any stretch of the imagination,” Britt, 44, said. “I was obese.”
He found a gym to shed the weight and build back muscle. And true to form, he took it to the next level. He became a professional mixed martial artist, then a boxer, then a personal trainer and, eventually, a gym owner.
But as he worked to stay fit, his love of dessert never faded. So instead of fighting it, Britt decided to turn his weakness into a strength.
In 2019, he launched Juggernaut Cookie Co. — a nod to his mixed martial arts moniker. The individually wrapped oversized gourmet cookies and a line of dog treats quickly became a hit at local restaurants, breweries and pop-up events. Online orders started rolling in nationwide, particularly during the pandemic.
Next month, Juggernaut’s new gluten-free, high protein cookie will be available in larger retail stores. Britt wants to keep growing the business and has plans to offer a variety of baked goods.
“I go down a path, then immediately I want to start building this vision that I see in my head,” he said.
Britt was born and raised in the South Norfolk area of Chesapeake. After graduating from high school in 1997, he attended Old Dominion University where he was majoring in fine arts. Britt left college early to start a family.
He got a job and put on weight. When Britt walked into Hybrid Academy, a kickboxing gym in Virginia Beach, he was out of shape but still had the ingrained wrestling skills from high school. The coaches at the gym asked him to train with their mixed martial artists.
“I jumped at the opportunity,” said Britt.
Within three months, he had lost 45 pounds and started competing as a heavyweight amateur. Britt was undefeated in five fights, each ending in first-round knockouts.
“I found something that really spoke to me,” he said.
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Known as “The Juggernaut” for his force in the cage, Britt made a name for himself in the mixed martial arts world. He had strong hands, could learn skills quickly and had the ability to stay on his feet. In 2007, he turned pro, weighing about 240 pounds. Again, all of his wins came by knockout. Britt even had a stint on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show.
He became a professional boxer after leaving mixed martial arts.
“In MMA, you got to worry about getting kicked and getting choked out and elbowed, and boxing is just punches, so I did that for a little while,” he said.
In his boxing debut, which also featured Portsmouth’s Dorin Spivey for the main event, Britt thrashed his opponent with a first-round knockout.
But Britt saw a future in personal training, so he consulted at gyms that focus on fitness with a specialty in martial arts. Now, he owns two Britt’s Personal Training & Self Defense gyms, one in Chesapeake’s Greenbrier area and one on Lynnhaven Parkway in Virginia Beach.
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Britt was Ashley Link’s personal trainer when he started the cookie business, and they’ve stayed friends.
“It really took on a life of its own,” she said. “He’s very driven.”
Britt developed the recipes and baked them himself at first, but when his e-commerce site launched, he was overwhelmed with the amount of orders coming in. Now, he uses a Hampton Roads-based company to help with production.
One of the most popular choices is The Salty Dog, a decadent cookie loaded with butterscotch chips and topped with sea salt. It’s a hit at local breweries because it pairs well with craft beer, Britt said.
At The Casual Pint restaurant in Landstown Commons in Virginia Beach, customers divide the giant cookies into large chunks for their kids to enjoy, owner Diane Shelsby said.
Inside Business
Twenty local businesses, including Taylor’s Do-It Centers and Maker’s Craft Brewery in Norfolk, currently carry Britt’s products. He expects the wholesale market to grow with upcoming production of the new gluten-free peanut butter and chocolate chip variety. Eventually, he wants to expand with other varieties of baked goods, including meal replacement bars.
“I take a lot of pride of being able to create a vision and then follow it through and make it successful,” he said.
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com